Introduction

Today is the day Intel's newest platform launches, and I once again have an MSI board product here to help me show you what Intel's X99 Express and the new Haswell-E CPUs offer those who decide to take the plunge early. For many generations now MSI has helped me with launch-day coverage, and if you are a gamer who has purchased an MSI board in the past to get the most out of your shiny new parts, I'm sure you understand why MSI's GAMING line-up is one that gets me excited.

MSI's GAMING line-up has been available for a few years now, built from the ground up with gamers and their needs in mind. From the favored black and red esthetic and its built-in hardware for gamers, such as a KillerNIC e2205 LAN controller, MSI's GAMING line-up has evolved into something sure to breathe some fire into your next build. Maybe the dragon-themed esthetic has something to do with that too.

Intel's X99 Express platform revolves around the new LGA2011-3 socket, an updated design with new drive features and support for the latest in memory technologies, DDR4. In fact, that "S" in the MSI X99S GAMING 7's name stands for the inclusion of one of those technologies still yet to break ground in enthusiast space, SATA Express. There has been a lot of contention in the weeks and months before the launch about what these newest technologies actually have to offer, and since this is a motherboard instead of a CPU review, you unfortunately won't find much information directly related to those particular subjects, but you will find a few performance benchmarks that in some way reflect what you might get out of Intel's latest. So without any further ado, let's take a closer look at the MSI's X99S GAMING 7.

Specifications